So, the first two are pretty self explanatory so I'll start with the hostel. Tiger Tim's was as I said earlier, great, but you have to understand that there's a little back-story to this. I am with a group of boys. Wonderful friends... but they are still college boys who don't always think everything through... And I'd let them plan this trip. Smart right? Anyway, we make it safely by train to the city, before realizing we don't actually know where the hostel is. After a little scrambling, we were able to find the hostel and find our way through the public transportation system. (That should really be a whole other post... European public transportation system nightmares...oy) However, here we are, a large group of loud Americans, with all our stuff and not really much clue of where we are going. Budapest has one of the highest theft rates in this part of Europe... So... Bad combination? I think so. Our group lost a camera and a wallet in the chaos before we'd even gotten back on the street.
But anyway, I'm getting off track. We made it to the hostel... and what do my wandering eyes see but the largest and most brightly lit sex shop I've ever seen. Jaw dropped, and face red I looked at the guys in horror. Where on EARTH did they book this hostel??? I knew I should have suspected something when the hostel was only 8 Euro...
Luckily, we discovered that the real hostel was just right next door in a very sketchy courtyard... with some very scantily dressed women and questionable looking men.
If we made it out of there alive, I was going to kill those boys.
However, the tides quickly changed when we met Tim, the owner of the hostel and an extremely friendly Irishman. He showed us how to get in to the hostel, and we hiked up the stairs into a very small and cozy floor of apartments that was our home for the next few days. The people there were all some of the most friendly and generous people I've met!
The next day we went on the city free walking tour. Have I explained free walking tours yet? I don't think so... ok. The "free" walking tours are done by hostels around the city, and usually take you to the most touristy spots as well as some of the more local stuff. The quality of the tour can vary a lot... but they're usually pretty good! At the end of the tour you pay what you thought the tour was worth. Anyway, it's a great way to see a city pretty quickly and cheaply.
The walking tour took us to both sides of the city, Buda and Pest. The Buda side is covered with hills and castles, while the Pest side is absolutely flat directly across the river. We saw the most gorgeous St. Stephens Basilica (even though it's not actually a Basilica haha) and the Parliament building- which was spectacular.
St. Stephan's Basilica
Hungarian Parliament Building on the Danube
We ended up on the other side of the Danube, where we decided to take a hike to the tallest point, where there is a beautiful statue, somewhat similar to the symbolism of our Lady Liberty. It was so spectacular!! Ever corner I came to caught my breath with new amazing sights.
After a full day of hiking we went to a special restaurant that had been suggested to us by a friend. The idea is, you have 3 hours from the time you sit down, and you pay a fixed price, but you can eat and drink anything and everything you want! I tried all sorts of weird foods... including some that I'm not entirely sure what it was... but it was delicious! All sorts of fresh fish and vegetables... ice creams and cakes... ugh. I thought I was going to die from over eating.
The next day we went to the famous Hungarian Bath Houses. Oh My Goodness. Best choice ever. There are indoor and outdoor pools, all the way from unbearably hot to unbearably cold and everything inbetween! Plus sanas that could melt your face off... it was a perfect relaxing way to spend our last day in the city... I found myself a perfect hot spring in the sun to just soak and enjoy life for a while.
"Hero's Square" on our way to the Baths
We took the train back to Vienna that same evening... and scrambled to get the homework we had all put off done. But it was such a fabulous little weekend getaway!
No comments:
Post a Comment